Tuross Falls

Over the next few weeks I’m going to feature Australian waterfalls; specifically those on the eastern escarpment south of Sydney. I’ve already shown you Tianjara Falls, and today we’ll look at Tuross Falls.

Tuross Falls is the closest escarpment fall to Canberra, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to get to. It’s to the east of Cooma, along the Numeralla / Countegany / Badja Road (the road name changes), and then along Badja Forest Road and Tuross Falls Road. The last of these is particularly rough: opinions differ as to whether it’s suitable for two wheel drive vehicles, and I’m here to tell you it’s not. My son Iain and I bashed our Ford Focus pretty badly getting up one particular hill, and I suspect this contributed to a hefty bill some months later to repair both back rims. Sorry Kylie. Take a four wheel drive vehicle.

The waterfall itself is three-quarters of an hour on foot from the Cascades campground. (The Cascades are nice, but not spectacular.) The track is well marked and an interesting walk of medium difficulty. You emerge on to the escarpment at a lookout point facing upstream to where the waterfall tumbles out from a gorge into a deeply incised channel, typical of the waterfalls along the Australian east coast. And, like all these waterfalls, the experience depends on how carefully you’ve selected the time of your visit. You need to go a few days after decent rain in order to get a good flow over the fall. Don’t waste your time in autumn unless you’re certain of the rain; spring is probably best. But be careful of the road, as I imagine it would become impassable after a heavy downpour.

The single biggest drawback of this waterfall is one common to Australian escarpment falls: you are limited to one viewpoint, and that above the fall. I can only imagine how spectacular Tuross Falls would be from below. I believe we’re supposed to view these things from below, to enforce upon us the proper humility. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet come across an escarpment fall that allows you this luxury.

Nonetheless this is well worth a visit – a beautiful ribbon of water set in a huge broken landscape.